DESCRIPTION: This proposal is aimed at characterizing the structure and function of Neurocuprein (NC), a type II Cu protein isolated from mammalian brain. The function of this protein in vivo is not known, but in vitro studies have shown that it can catalyze the oxidation of adrenaline, noradrenaline and DOPA. The specific aims of this proposal are to optimize the conditions for an assay of specific activity, study the catalytic behavior of the protein and determine if it shows a general catecholase activity, to elucidate the mechanism of catechol oxidation, to explore the metal binding site structure using spectroscopic and electrochemical methods, and to study exogenous ligand binding to the metal so that solvent accessibility can be judged.